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Students should avoid taking out student loans

posted Apr 19, 2017, 11:17 AM by stu.maryberntsen@usd356.org

When you are thinking of college and its expenses, what is the first thing you do? For some, it is to apply for financial aid, scholarships and student loans. All students are required to complete the FAFSA form for the federal government. Those students who qualify are offered grants, and most students and/or their parents are offered loans. While it might be tempting to accept loans, I think they are something to avoid. Did you know that roughly 70 percent of college graduates graduate with student loan debt?

Student Loan Hero gathered statistics from graduates of the class of 2016, and the average student loan debt was around $37,000. That number rose 6 percent from the year before and is expected to rise again in 2017. As deep in debt as this country already is, I don’t like the idea of adding my name to the list of 44 million people who have student loan debt. I think that it’s okay to try to find aid in the form of scholarships and grants when you don’t have the money on hand, but getting into debt for a degree you might not use right after college seems a little silly.

Scholarships and grants are your best bet to get free money for college, and they give you a chance to build wealth. Building wealth will give you a chance to save more money for the next year and so on until you graduate. Applying for loans should be avoided as much as you can and if you do get one, make sure it’s small enough that you can pay it off quickly. You might have to work a little harder to get the money, but if you can graduate debt-free then it would be worth it.